Way to You
by AxCfangirl
Summary: Love can turn longing and loneliness into strength. And distance makes their love stronger. The shared dream makes Athrun feel close to Cagalli even when there is a far, far distance between them. Post-GSD
1. E-mails

**A/N**: This fic is actually supposed to be a one-shot. But it became quite long, and I thought it might be better if I cut them into pages. Hence, it became a multi-page fic. But it's not a multi-chapter fic, so there are no titles in each page.

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English is not my first language. Please bear with grammatical errors.

And for your information, my fic is based on the remastered version (but I watched the original version, too).

**Disclaimer: I don't own GS/GSD.**

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**Way to You**

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Accessing his private e-mail account, Athrun found one new e-mail from Kira, but chose to read it later. Comfortably seated in his chair at his desk in his room, he opened the e-mail draft he had written last night. He already would have sent it if he had not forgotten to take a photo of his supper yesterday.

So, he had had to have a meal in the cafeteria at the Orb Embassy in PLANT where he worked as the Defense Attaché today, too. Well, he was actually glad about it. He added some new sentences to the draft, explaining that the cafeteria had served a salad with peach, his favorite fruit, this evening and that he had quite enjoyed his meal, which would surely satisfy his girlfriend.

He also mentioned that he had run into the Ambassador as he left the Embassy; the man was also leaving for home, and invited Athrun to dinner, which Athrun had to decline for he had had a supper just several minutes before. The Ambassador had laughed at bad timing, and said Athrun should come some other day, which Athrun accepted with polite gratitude. Cagalli would like this news as well, since it meant Athrun was guaranteed to have one proper dinner, a homemade one at that.

About four months ago, she had asked—or more like ordered—him to attach a photograph of his meal to every e-mail he sent to her. She had even said that she wouldn't answer his e-mail if it was without a photo. He doubted she would actually follow through on the threat; she surely didn't have enough patience to hold back telling him what she wanted to share with him until he finally sent a photo. But he preferred to play safe.

Plus, he felt bad about having made her worried when he was quite busy and replaced meals at the cafeteria with nutrition bars for a few weeks, which was rather long even for him, as well as replacing sleep in a bed with naps on a sofa at his office or just at his desk.

Though he still believed he had been well enough. It was more of Kira's fault, who had ratted on Athrun to her, that she had had to become worried. Worried enough to spend her lunch break hurrying back to her home to make a secret call to Athrun, even though she should have rested instead during the break.

Although she had dismissed his inquiry and avoided giving a proper answer, he was sure that she had had to work late—later than she should—that day, and possibly the next day as well, as a result of squeezing a one-hour lunch break in despite her own hectic schedule at that time.

Of course he could understand her concern. Since he had been assigned to his current job soon after the Second Bloody Valentine War, they were living far away from each other and couldn't make sure the other was all right in person, which frustrated them and increased their worries for the other at times. She had told him he would have been upset if their positions were reversed, and he had reluctantly admitted it was true.

It wasn't to say, though, that he had not pointed out that it wouldn't be exactly the same since Coordinators had a tougher body needing less care. Not that she had been convinced. In fact, he had received a disapproving glare and an accusation of being stupid and childish. He had barely managed to lead the conversation to her lifestyle habits which were hardly impeccably healthy themselves. She still had not forgotten to threaten him before the call ended so that he would be more careful.

He slightly made a face at the memory, especially at those insults he found unreasonable, and decided to write a few more sentences: **I believe I've seen enough kebabs—or rather, too many of them—for a month. Send me a photo of something else. An **_**adult**_** needs a balanced consumption, you know.**

Although he had not asked, she usually sent her own photographs of meal with her e-mails, about the third forth of which was consisted of kebabs so far.

He had written in his last e-mail that she should eat some food other than kebabs once in a while. She had replied that she ate different foods at formal dinners; he mostly got to see kebabs only because she couldn't take a photo of those dinners. Not to his surprise at all, the photo she had attached to that e-mail was one of another kebab.

Feeling amused and a little concerned about her diet, he went over the draft, which looked fine. But then, he wondered about the same thing as he had last night: whether he should write about the possibility that he was going to Orb in the beginning of next month. The military leadership wanted to have a meeting with representatives of military personnel at the Orb Embassies around the world, and Athrun might become the one who represented the Embassy in PLANT. In that case, he could spend several days in Orb and have a half day and most of the evenings free during the stay, which meant he might be able to spend some time with her in private.

It had not been decided yet, though. If it turned out he wouldn't go after all, she was going to get disappointed. On the other hand, if he didn't tell her early, it was very likely that she couldn't make some time, considering that her schedule was always busy.

He debated in his head some more before starting to type. Cagalli would want to know, and he was too excited at the prospect to keep it secret.

After rereading the draft and making sure the photograph was attached to it, he sent it. As usual, his mind went to what she might be doing right now. As a government employee, and a high-ranking one at that, he could access to part of her schedule.

Because of the time difference, it was mid-morning in Orb. Since she didn't have a Cabinet meeting today and no any inspections or visits—none that he knew of anyway, though there could be a highly classified one—was scheduled for her in the morning, Cagalli must be in the middle of signing papers in her office.

On the other hand, he was in his room after the day's work. Although there were still a few hours before midnight, he didn't have anything he had to do before going to bed except taking a shower. Maybe he could use the time to check the newest robot kit of one of his favorite brands he had purchased a month ago but had not been able to open yet. He preferred to make his own robots, but he bought a robot kit from time to time so that he could examine new developments in the area and get some inspirations for his own robots.

The thought of robots then led his mind to his best friend who shared his interest in them, and the e-mail from the brunet.

Kira's e-mail was an invitation for a tea and then a dinner at his house, or rather his girlfriend's official housing where the brunet also lived, on the next Saturday when Athrun had an afternoon off. Athrun wasn't surprised that Kira knew when he had free time even though he had not told the brunet. Kira, and Lacus, seemed to keep tabs on Athrun's schedule somehow.

It was probably because of Kira's personal connections in Orb or his position as a former admiral of the Orb's military. The couple had never clearly explained, though, and Athrun had not pressed for the answer lest it was a result of Kira hacking into the computer network of the Orb Embassy or something as illegal. The brunet tended to go his own way rather than follow the rules, and his pink-haired girlfriend seemed to not only share the trait, but strengthen that tendency of his.

Shaking off the thought he would rather not pursue, Athrun wrote a simple reply, accepting the invitation. It wasn't like he had any plans that day after work. In fact, he often used most of his free time working at his apartment instead of his office. That might be a part of the reason of the invitation. Kira and Lacus were clearly in league with Cagalli and trying to make Athrun eat and rest properly.

Although he really thought they were worrying themselves unnecessarily, having a dinner with close friends wasn't a bad way to spend time. And he could discuss robots with Kira. He had been thinking about making a robot for Cagalli for her next birthday, but had not come up with a good idea. Perhaps Kira could help him.

After all, it was Kira who had reminded Athrun that although Athrun had made Torii for Kira and Haros for Lacus, he had not given any robots to Cagalli. Considering Kira's words and the fact that Cagalli liked to play with Torii or Haros, Athrun had decided to make one for his girlfriend.

Sending the reply to Kira and logging out of the e-mail account, Athrun stood up to get the robot kit, which should be going to occupy him for the rest of the evening.

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	2. Rumors

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"Oh, hello. Welcome back."

As Athrun and several other soldiers were about to reach the Orb Embassy, two female employees, both civilians, came walking toward the gate from the other direction. One of them, a blunette, waved her hands, greeting them.

"Did your training go well?"

Today, Athrun had taken about a half of his subordinates who were military personnel at the Embassy to one of ZAFT's training facility, which was mostly used by foreign military personnel, for mandatory training sessions.

One of his subordinates, Ensign Palakiko who was usually called Iko for short, waved back. "Pretty well, I think. We're thoroughly exhausted."

"Shouldn't you head for home instead of coming back here, then?"

"I'd love to, but Lieutenant Colonel Zala insisted we should go back and work at the Embassy until working hours are over." Iko pouted a little, then curiously asked, "What about you two? Shouldn't you be at your office?"

"Well, it seems we have to work late. So we decided we'd need a caffeine fix." The blunette raised her right hand holding a large paper cup. The other woman, a blonde, did the same with hers.

"A cup of coffee." Iko heaved a dramatic sigh. "That sounds terrific."

He got close to the blunette and sniffed her cup. She playfully made a shooing gesture. "Hey! Stay away from my coffee."

"Will you be nice and share a little, please?"

"No way. You can go home in less than an hour, but I have to keep working for a few more hours at least. I'll need all of this coffee."

Iko made a face. "Don't you have any sympathy for someone who's been sweating his guts out all day?"

The blunette shrugged. "I've been using here"—she pointed at her head—"all day while you were using your muscles. And I was doing _work_, not training. What makes you think you're the one who's more tired?"

"Touché." Iko sagged his shoulders in an exaggerated gesture as their group entered the Embassy building.

As they headed for the door exclusive to the staff, instead of the security gates visitors had to go through, Iko and the blunette were still bantering. But Athrun didn't really hear it. His attention was on the visitors as he checked whether there was any sign of trouble that involved with his line of work. It looked more crowded than usual.

A woman with long brown hair was walking toward them, or rather toward the entrance door, while searching something in her purse. Her eyes were still on the things inside her purse as she passed by Athrun and the others, and as a result, she bumped into another visitor. With a small yelp, she lost her balance, her arms frantically trying to keep her purse close to her body and regain her balance at the same time.

Instinctively, Athrun took quick steps toward the woman. As he received her in his arms and broke her fall while stopping her bag from slipping from her hand, a waft of her scent reached his nostrils, which momentarily brought his mind to another time and place.

"Oh, thank you, officer."

A female voice, which was unfamiliar, pulled him back to reality. The brunette in his arms was looking up at him with an embarrassed and grateful smile.

He gave her a polite smile, making sure she had a firm hold of her purse before letting it go. "No problem. Are you all right?"

"Yes, I think so." She quickly checked her body and belongings, then smiled at him again. "And I owe you that. I should've watched my surroundings."

"It's probably better if you do so from now on," he agreed as he set her on her feet.

"I promise I will, and won't trouble you like this again even if we have another encounter," she said a little mischievously before glancing at her watch.

She went on to thank him again and turned around to resume walking toward the exit. Unconsciously, he followed her retreating figure with his eyes. Most of his mind was lingering on what she had triggered in him.

"A pretty girl, wasn't she?"

He blinked at the voice and a light bump on his left arm. Standing by his side, Iko was grinning at him; he seemed to have nudged Athrun with his elbow to get Athrun's attention. The entire group of his colleagues had apparently stopped and been watching Athrun's exchange with the brunette.

"It was chivalrous of you to save her like that, Lieutenant Colonel," the blunette said with admiration as they started walking again.

"You looked like a knight," the blonde clerk agreed, though her tone was more joking.

"Shouldn't you have asked her number? She seemed interested enough." Iko paused, then added, "So did you." There was open curiosity, and even teasing, in his face and voice. "You were looking at her rather intensely."

Because he was closer to Athrun's age than the other soldiers under Athrun, only a few years older, and also a very friendly person to begin with, Iko tended to forget Athrun was a lot higher than he was in rank. Athrun usually didn't mind it; he even appreciated Iko's friendliness since it could work to their advantage. Iko easily made friends with those from other countries they met at the training facility or other places and his connections had been proven useful.

Right now, however, Athrun wished Iko weren't so friendly or had treated Athrun more like a superior than just a co-worker, even feared Athrun so that Iko wouldn't dream of meddling in Athrun's love life. He wished that every time the other guy did it, but his wish had not yet been fulfilled.

He averted his eyes from Iko, or the other colleagues of his, and replied, "It...wasn't like that."

His denial was somewhat weak since it was true that his stare at the brunette had had something to do with romance. The woman's scent had reminded him of his girlfriend, the feel of Cagalli's body in his arms with his nose buried into her hair, since the brunette wore a perfume of citrus scent, which he associated with Cagalli. Both Cagalli's shampoo and the perfume she wore when she had to dress up for her duties were of the same scent, though the brunette's had been more flowery now he considered it while Cagalli's was more fruity.

At any rate, he had not realized his longing had been so clear on his face that his co-workers could notice it. And it seemed to have piqued their curiosity a lot. The facts that they had just entered the staff-only area and that there were no more visitors around them to overhear didn't seem to be working in Athrun's favor.

"I wonder what Lieutenant Colonel's preferences are? Like hair color or body type you like?" the blue-haired female clerk asked curiously. "Maybe you like brunettes? That woman's hair was beautiful."

"Ah...well..." Having no idea how to reply, he shrugged helplessly, his eyes flickering to the golden hair of the other female clerk, which was shades darker than Cagalli's.

He wasn't even sure whether he had particular preferences. He had never thought about it. But he was certain that if he tried to come up with some, they would be matching Cagalli's description; thus, they were better to be kept to himself just in case.

"Or maybe redheads?" Iko suggested. "I still can't believe there's been nothing romantic between you and Meyrin-chan. You two defecting ZAFT hand in hand and joining our military together to work at the same place and all.

"Besides, why are you so uninterested in meeting girls, even just for fun, if you aren't dating her? It's not like you have to commit your life to the first girl you have a fling with, or just flirt with. And you could get a girl, or girls, so easily if you just tried. But you just waste all the opportunities. It's a real shame." Iko made a face that said he really didn't understand Athrun, which he always did when they were talking about this subject.

"It would be quite a romance if you two were a couple," the blonde clerk chimed in.

"Not that you don't already have a romantic story," the blunette followed. "You know, joining your fiancée even if it meant fighting against your own father. Though your story with Chairwoman Clyne doesn't have a happy ending." Her tone turned sympathetic. "I think it's not surprising that you're reluctant to look for a new relationship after that. Sometimes, wounds take years to heal. Besides, it's not easy to get over a breakup if you and your ex stay as close as you and Chairwoman Clyne do, I suppose."

"That actually makes his romance with Chief Petty Officer Hawke—if there is any, of course—even more romantic. A man wounded by his past romance finding another love in the battlefield, and her leaving her country and military to run away with him. It could be quite a story as well," the blonde pointed out.

Feeling quite uneasy, Athrun wondered whether it was a good thing that Meyrin wasn't here. Along with another soldier and several bodyguards, she had accompanied the Ambassador's wife and children on a trip to a nearby colony, and had not been able to join the training session.

His companions might have hesitated to discuss this subject if there had been two, not just one, concerning the rumor. Then again, they might have been even more curious. He probably should be glad that he was the only one who had to bear this uncomfortable conversation. Besides, the answer to the prying wouldn't have changed with or without Meyrin present.

So, he opened his mouth to deny the allegations—for the umpteenth time. But before he uttered a word, another of his subordinates steered the conversation toward the direction Athrun didn't want it to go most.

"Speaking of which, what about Lady Cagalli? I heard Lieutenant Colonel Zala was working as a personal bodyguard for her, and very close to her, before the Second War. Is it possible...?"

The man and the others exchanged looks, then turned their expectant faces to Athrun.

"Um..." Athrun put all his willpower into maintaining his calm appearance.

He remembered the soldier who had brought up Cagalli was a devoted supporter of the Athha family and Cagalli. That was probably why he was interested in the nature of Cagalli's relationship with Athrun.

But figuring it out didn't save Athrun from his situation, which was now not only uncomfortable but also complicated, at all. The problem was that since Cagalli had become a part of the conversation, he couldn't say that there was nothing romantic going on between himself and Meyrin or that he didn't have any lingering feelings for Lacus as he had been about to. If he clearly denied a possibility of romance with them, but not one with Cagalli, he would be practically admitting to being Cagalli's boyfriend, the fact that should be kept secret. At the same time, he didn't want to deny his relationship with Cagalli, his feelings for her and her feelings for him. When he could avoid doing it at least.

Therefore, he simply said in a nonchalant tone, "They are all my comrades. We fought a war, or two wars, on the same side." It was the truth, albeit half-truth.

Then, he cleared his throat more loudly than necessary. "By the way, working hours are not over yet, so we should go back to our work instead of wasting time chatting here." He made sure that his face and voice were stern and no-nonsense, not blushing or flustered.

He proceeded to turn his back to the others and began walking toward his office, trying his hardest not to look like he was running away.

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	3. I Miss You

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* * *

Athrun's face softened as he found a new e-mail from Cagalli in his in-box. The e-mail had actually arrived yesterday morning according to the time stamp. He just had not seen it until now; he had been too exhausted last night to check new e-mails for his private account, and had not had time to do it this morning.

It wasn't a rare occurrence, since he didn't check his private e-mails at work, much less read an e-mail from Cagalli lest someone else accidentally got a look at it. Not to mention he wasn't the type to frequently correspond with his friends, or the type to write a long e-mail outside of work, in the first place. Cagalli was practically the only reason he checked his private e-mail account so often and the only person he wrote more than a few sentences in almost every e-mail to.

He first downloaded the photo attached to Cagalli's new e-mail to see whether she had accepted his request. As he opened the image, he blinked, then smiled, finding cabbage rolls, his favorite food.

During the time he had spent as her bodyguard, he had gotten her to be fond of the food as well. He believed he had done a good job of protecting her health by giving her another food to like and reducing her obsession with kebabs even if only a little.

He saved the photo in one of the folders where he stored photographs concerning her. They were tightly locked with a password and a special program he had created, which he was sure only a few people in the universe could break, though one of them was his best friend who sometimes tried to hack into Athrun's computer solely for fun or to kill time. Speaking of which, it was probably time for Athrun to upgrade the security of his computer.

After making a mental note, he went back to the e-mail from Cagalli, which started with **There is no "too many" for kebabs**. She continued defending kebabs passionately for a little while before concluding it with **Well, but I'm an **_**adult**_** who can consider other people's opinions and make a compromise. So, I decided to grant your request. You'll certainly enjoy looking at my photo attached to this e-mail. You can also enjoy eating them next time you have a meal at my home.**

She then replied to other subjects in his last e-mail. She especially showed her excitement at the prospect of seeing each other in person, which made him smile and feel glad that he had told her about it.

Her e-mail moved on to complaints about her "thick-skulled" co-workers who had been objecting to her proposition to allocate more budget for helping refugees that had increased during the past several years mostly due to the two great wars by cutting down the budget for noble families.

After that, she delivered some news concerning the servants at the Athha estate. A daughter of one of the maids succeeding into the college of her first choice, one of the kitchen staff's cousin who had moved to Orb several years ago finally acquiring the citizenship, one of the gardeners losing his father and taking a temporary leave, and such. Athrun could recall the faces of most of the servants Cagalli mentioned from the days when he had worked as her bodyguard, though he had not been close to any of them.

Next, she talked about an action movie she had watched between work to relax. She seemed to have really liked it, and said that he should watch it as well.

He briefly wondered whether it was another attempt of hers to make him take a rest. It seemed too roundabout a way for her who was usually direct. But then, she had been learning to be a better politician, more tactful and shrewder.

He soon shrugged, though. Either way, he was sure she had truly enjoyed the movie; she wouldn't lie about it. And according to the synopsis she had written, it didn't sound like a bad movie. Although he wasn't much of a fan of action movies, the movie in question was a historical action. He liked historical movies, provided that the movie re-created the past authentically. It was probably one of the reasons why Cagalli had recommended this movie to him; she wrote that the re-creation had looked pretty authentic to her.

The movie was the final subject. Well, except that in addition to the words of concern for his well-being interspersed among the sentences above, she ended the e-mail with **Don't even think about slacking off in keeping yourself healthy. I'm watching you**. So, he should probably say his health was the final subject of her e-mail. There was even a stern-faced emoticon whose fingers were pointing at its eyes at the end.

He shook his head a little before starting to write a reply. He started with **I think we can agree to disagree about whether or not "too many" can be applied to kebabs**. He then told her that he liked the picture of cabbage rolls and that he was looking forward to having a meal at the Athha manor and eating cabbage rolls the chef made, which he knew were good.

He proceeded to write soothing words concerning her anger at her co-workers and congratulations and condolences to the news of the staff of the Athha estate. He added that he would watch that action movie if he had time.

He also made sure to include what was happening in his life. He didn't see much meaning in writing about everyday stuff, and during the first months after he had moved to PLANT, Cagalli had often complained about the lack of content of his e-mails to her. Gradually, he had learned to put in more details of his life in PLANT, and she seemed to have been satisfied for the past few months, though it was possible that she was simply distracted by her attempt to make him have a healthier lifestyle.

There were several upcoming events the Embassy was going to host or the Embassy staff were going to attend, and he was working on the security plans of these events in coordination with people outside the Embassy, which sometimes became heavy going. Just this afternoon, he had spent almost the entire meeting arguing with a ZAFT soldier in charge of security at one of those events about how many security personnel they needed.

And a couple of days ago, he had visited a bar after work, which he rarely did, since his colleagues, mostly Iko, had strongly insisted he join them. He had ended up taking care of his drunk companions, as he had expected. On top of that, some of them had tried to hook him up with women who came to chat with them, which made him tired and even irritated. That night had fortified his resolve to stay away from such an occasion as much as possible.

But he omitted the part about the women from his writing. Since he himself didn't like to hear about people trying to match Cagalli up with other men, which some nobles did, he supposed that she too would prefer not to hear about those women.

The most important subject was a social gathering for embassy officials in PLANT he had attended last night. During the party, the Ambassador of the Oceania Union had spoken highly of Cagalli in a conversation with Athrun and a few other attendees. It had made Athrun feel delighted and proud, and he wrote down the Ambassador's entire comment in his e-mail.

He hoped that knowing the comment would not only make Cagalli feel the same as he had but also increase her confidence. He knew she didn't have as much doubt in her abilities as she had before the Second Bloody Valentine War. But still, hearing about people praising her wouldn't hurt. Or maybe he just wanted to share the pleasing experience with her. Either way, he had decided he should tell her about it at the moment he heard the compliment.

He concluded his e-mail with **By the way, I advise you not to throw around threats so lavishly. It will just make your words look less threatening**. He didn't add **And exactly how are you watching me from Orb?** Because he already knew the answer. It was through her brother, and her friends in PLANT, of course.

When he was about to send the e-mail after rereading it, a thought occurred to him. He hesitated for a while before slowly adding one more sentence at the end of the e-mail after his sign with one blank line between them.

**I miss you.**

Then, he became uncertain whether he should send this or delete the last sentence. It was his honest feeling, yes. But it came from so deep a part of his heart and he felt somewhat uncomfortable showing such vulnerability. Then again, it was Cagalli he was sending this e-mail to. He didn't want to hide anything from her, any part of his heart especially. He wanted her to see everything of him, and accept it. He knew she would.

Taking a deep breath to encourage himself, he clicked the Send button before he second-guessed himself more.

He let out a long breath, looking at the message on the computer screen that the e-mail had been successfully sent. It was gone and there was nothing he could do about it. But he kept sitting in front of the computer, doing nothing. The longing the brunette's perfume had prompted several days ago had come back and was squeezing his chest. It was that longing that had made him add that sentence to the e-mail he had just sent.

Not that he had not missed Cagalli before the incident with the brunette. He had and he did. Every day since he had left Orb for PLANT. It was partly why he immersed himself in his work so much. Because focusing on work could distract him from longing for her.

It wasn't the only reason, however. He enjoyed his work, satisfied with and proud of his job. With his current job, he could contribute to protecting the world peace, the peace between Coordinators and Naturals, which meant protecting both his first home country and his current one. It also meant he could help Orb protect its principles, which he admired.

He could feel that he was definitely working for the world he wished for, the peaceful world, the world where Coordinators and Naturals could coexist peacefully. The world where he and Cagalli could be openly together.

He was doing the right thing. He was doing meaningful work. He was walking on the path to his happiness. It felt great to be able to have all of these feelings at once. It made him believe wholeheartedly that he was living his own life, building the future he wanted with his own hands.

Although he was in his current position mostly thanks to Cagalli, it didn't mean he didn't deserve it. At the very least, he was on a firm footing in the Orb Embassy in PLANT, having the Ambassador's trust, because of his dedication to his job.

When they first started working together, the Ambassador had not hidden his displeasure about the situation, that he was skeptical about Athrun's loyalty to Orb. Which was probably natural since the man knew very well about Athrun's decision to rejoin ZAFT when he was supposed to be working for Orb as a special messenger of the Chief Representative. Also, the man had had to endure the trouble of negotiating with PLANT after the Second Bloody Valentine War so that Athrun, and Meyrin, could gain immunity for the defection and alleged treason to PLANT.

Even with Athrun's achievements in the end of the war, protecting Orb from the ZAFT attack and destroying the weapon of mass destruction which was going to attack Orb, the Ambassador had made it clear that he saw Athrun as a burden rather than an asset to Orb, if not a security risk. Athrun had not really been able to say the man was wrong, feeling guilty about all the troubles he had caused Cagalli and Orb.

Although Athrun had not been happy about the Ambassador's opinion of him, it had been the consequence of his own actions. He had known he should accept it and had to work to establish trust with the man, and other people in the Embassy, the Orb's military, and the Orb government.

He wanted to spend his life in Orb, with Cagalli, a person very important not just to him but also to the people of Orb. Therefore, he needed to build an unshakable status and reputation in the country. Just because he had the trust and friendship of the Chief Representative, it didn't mean everyone else automatically trusted or accepted him. He should make them trust himself through his own effort instead of exploiting their trust in their leader.

Partly because otherwise he could end up burdening Cagalli with his troubles, which was the last thing he wanted to do again. He couldn't keep relying on her to make a place for him. He was determined to do it on his own so that he could do what he strongly wanted to: helping and protecting her. No matter how hard it was, he wouldn't give up. He was going to become a person who helped her improve her good name, not a person who harmed her reputation, or worse, her.

And it wasn't for her. It was for his own sake, because it was his own dream. Therefore, it was no one else's job but his own to work to achieve the goal. He had known it and set his mind to proving himself to others, starting with the Ambassador.

Thankfully, his knowledge and understanding of PLANT politics and public opinion and his connections to influential people in PLANT, which came from his past as a PLANT citizen and a son of a politician, came in handy in his current job. And his effort was bearing fruit.

After working together for nearly a year, the Ambassador was much more trusting of Athrun and now seeing him as a reliable colleague. The advice Athrun had given to the man a few months ago when there was a conflict between Orb and PLANT over a trade arrangement seemed to have especially contributed to the improvement of their relationship. Athrun's advice had helped the man increase Orb's benefits which resulted in some loss on PLANT's side.

Well, it had also earned Athrun some complaints and insults from a certain silver-head, but he didn't mind it. He knew his friends working for PLANT understood he had only done his job just as they did; they would do the same thing if their positions were reversed. Not to mention it wasn't an unusual occurrence between him and Yzak to begin with. The silver-head would act in a similar way, or rather worse, when Athrun beat him in a chess game or a mock battle, which Yzak took very personally.

Anyway, putting Athrun in a situation like the one concerning the trade agreement might have been the intention of the people who had assigned him to this job: test his loyalty, find out how willing he was to put Orb before PLANT, and eliminate him if he failed the test. Although the official reason was that his connections, especially the one to the new Chairwoman of PLANT, could be useful in re-establishing a good relationship between two countries, it seemed very likely that the military leadership and some people in the government had had such a hidden agenda.

Even so, however, Athrun knew that there was at least one person among his superiors who had her genuine, complete trust in him, and it was enough for him. More than enough.

His lips slightly curved up into a fond smile as he remembered the time when he had heard about the transfer order to the Embassy from the Chief Representative in a private meeting.

She had explained that the order was still not official and said, "I know it'll be hard for you. If you don't want the job, it's okay. We have other candidates."

He had known that she was worried about his being torn between his loyalty to Orb and that to PLANT and suffering from it. But he had also been aware that it was a hurdle he had to overcome sooner or later. Not to mention that intervening to protect him could affect her position, increasing her burden because of him, which he didn't want.

Therefore, he had replied in a reassuring tone, "No, it's all right. I'm willing to take the job if you think I'm suited for it."

She had studied him with an intense look. He had stared right back at her, showing her that he wasn't hiding anything. He had not been pretending to be fine with accepting the job. He had been ready to do whatever task he was assigned to if it was necessary in order to realize his dream, and the job had seemed exactly like one.

After a moment, her posture had relaxed and her face had softened into a smile. "I'm sure there is no one better suited for this job than you. I believe you can do it very well."

His face too had turned into a smile at the sincerity in her face and voice. They had been sitting on a sofa with their bodies turned to each other; he had leaned toward her to look deeply into her eyes.

"I promise I'll give it everything I've got. I won't let you down."

She had simply said, "I know."

Despite their simplicity, the words had held so much significance for him. The way she had said them as if she was talking about a plain fact despite everything that had happened between them, everything he had done, had moved his heart, filling him with joy and pride, and a resolve to prove that he deserved her trust.

Not good with words, he had decided to convey to her how much her words and trust meant to him in a different way, a way he used only with her. He had pulled her close and kissed her hotly, which she first received with surprise but quickly reciprocated. They had savored the other's feel and taste and smell, knowing they would soon be separated with a universe between them.

The memory eased and strengthened his loneliness at once. His body, his heart, his entire existence were yearning for her to the extent that it was almost painful.

However, as difficult as it was to have a long-distance relationship, he felt quite close to her, closer than ever, closer than even when he was working as her bodyguard, staying physically near her and spending a lot more time with her.

At that time, they had not been really sure they could have a future together. The futures they wanted had not been exactly the same even, though they were unaware of it.

But now, he knew for certain that they were wishing for the same future, and he could believe that they were going to have it.

Even though they weren't at the same place right now, they were working for the same goal, fighting for their future side by side—not literally but metaphorically. Even though they were physically far away from each other, their hearts were connected. Even though he couldn't see or touch the connection, he could still believe in it, feel it and draw strength from it.

Thinking about her who was fighting her battle strengthened his will and determination to fight his own. Even if the battle was sometimes very tough, he was resolved to keep fighting. Every day, he struggled to move forward on the path he had chosen, the path that would bring him to her, to the future with her.

There were times he felt impatient, thinking that he was making too little progress. But he reminded himself of his past mistake caused by his impatience, and told himself to remain patient.

Even if he moved only one step each day, he was still moving forward, and if he kept on walking, he could surely reach where he wanted to. He knew there were many people who helped him—them. And most importantly, he knew she wouldn't give up on him, on their future. She would keep believing in him and waiting for him until he earned his place in Orb, until he reached her side even if it took quite a long time. That was why he could fight persistently. That was why he could fight off his impatience.

Her love and trust supported and protected him in his fight even if she herself wasn't with him. Probably that was what it meant to share a life with someone. You fought together, supporting and protecting each other. Sometimes at the same place, sometimes at different places, but always sharing the same dream and working for the same future.

Thinking about it always fueled his love for her. Distance had done nothing to weaken his feelings for her or their relationship. If anything, it was the opposite. He had never been surer about her, about them. He had never been surer about anything.

He opened a folder with Cagalli's photos, and randomly clicked one to enlarge it. In the picture, she was running from right to left in her military uniform with a hanger as a backdrop. It was one of the pictures Miriallia had sent to him through Kira.

Gazing at Cagalli in the photo—who was keeping her eyes fixed on her destination, whatever it was—he said soundlessly, _I miss you, but I'm holding up._

* * *

:


	4. Kebabs

:

* * *

Looking around, his companion said, "It doesn't seem difficult to protect the Ambassador and his family in this place. There aren't many things that obstruct our view or movement."

"No, but we have to take it into consideration that there will be a lot of people on the day of the festival," Athrun pointed out, his eyes also scanning the large park they were walking in. "The crowd will most likely cause some troubles for us. And stalls will be there as well."

The Orb Embassy was hosting a festival in this park in the middle of next month, for the purpose of introducing Orb culture to PLANT citizens. Orb citizens living in PLANT were also expected to come. Naturally, the Ambassador and his family were going to spend some time at this place, and Athrun and a few subordinates of his were checking the place so that they could make a better security plan.

Meyrin's face turned sheepish at Athrun's words. "Oh, yeah. I forgot to consider that. I'll keep it in mind." She paused thoughtfully before adding, "Those troubles may include Miss Mi-ran getting lost in the crowd. I bet she'll be quite excited."

"Right." Athrun frowned a little. "She nearly got lost during the trip to Aprilius Five, didn't she?"

The Orb Ambassador to PLANT had two daughters; the younger one, Mi-ran, was four and rather a handful. She was too small, and too stubborn, to obediently stay at her mother's side like her older sister, which caused a disturbance at times. It might be wise of him to assign an extra bodyguard to the little troublemaker.

"She did. There were performers on the street—a man playing the guitar on the street with two other people dancing—and she was attracted by music, apparently. And she had a knack for losing her bodyguards," Meyrin said with an amused smile.

"Yes, I read the report. And I'm planning to assign you, and probably someone else, to guard her. Since she seems to like you and listen to you, at least better than she does the rest of us."

"I suppose it helps we both have an older sister. She likes to hear stories of me and my sister. Well, I still doubt I can stop her from doing as she wishes, but I'll try my hardest to stick with her."

Athrun gave a resigned nod. "It's probably the best. Someone like her will be likely to create a bigger trouble when restrained against her will. Giving her some freedom hopefully will make her stay close to you instead of going off to roam around alone."

It was actually an advice he had been given from Kisaka, his predecessor, when Athrun had become Cagalli's main bodyguard: "Let her have her way when it's about things that don't really matter, then she will tolerate having a bodyguard trailing after her or listen to you when it truly matters." The little girl in question sometimes reminded Athrun of his girlfriend, and the strategy he used with Cagalli seemed effective with the girl as well.

"It sounds like a good plan," Meyrin said agreeingly. Her eyes then shifted to move around the park once more.

"Speaking of my sister, have you heard she and Shinn are planning to come to the festival?"

After the Second Bloody Valentine War, Shinn and Lunamaria had worked in Orb for about half a year as a part of the soldier exchange program between Orb and PLANT. Then, they had returned to PLANT and were now working under Kira. Although Athrun sometimes saw them, he knew how they were doing mostly from the stories of them Kira or Meyrin told him.

"No, I haven't. Are they?" he asked curiously, looking up from his mobile computer. He had been examining the layout plan of stalls and trying to get a more accurate image of the park on the festival day.

Meyrin looked back at him. "Yeah, Big Sister said, Shinn wanna see the performances, but he's especially excited about the food. You know, those special Orb dishes unavailable in PLANT that will be served at the festival."

"I see." He smiled softly. "That's nice to hear. I hope he'll enjoy the festival."

He knew Shinn didn't hate Orb anymore, but it was still heartening to know that the raven-head was openly looking forward to being exposed to the culture of his original country.

"I hope so, too." Meyrin smiled back. Then her face and voice turned slightly sarcastic. "Though I'm not so sure they're gonna come to the festival together. They may break up again before then. I talked with Big Sister the other day, and she was pretty annoyed at Shinn."

He just gave her a vague smile, refraining from making a comment. During the past year since the Second Bloody Valentine War had ended, or rather since Shinn and Lunamaria had started dating, they had already broken up twice, and gotten back together twice.

Athrun didn't understand the couple's behavior, why they went so far as to end their relationship even though they had no reason except that they had had a petty fight—at least to Athrun's knowledge—and they apparently still had feelings for each other which were strong enough to make them decide to date the other again. He was sure that he would never consider breaking up with Cagalli in such a way. He didn't want to even think about ending their relationship, a possibility that might become reality someday though he was determined to fight his hardest against such a future.

He thought Shinn and Lunamaria should cherish their relationship and each other a little more. It was a precious thing to be able to be with someone you loved. Not that he had said it to them or was planning to, though. He didn't want to meddle.

Meyrin shook her head, nearly rolling her eyes. "I just hope they won't break up during the festival, causing a show. It'd be so embarrassing."

"It wouldn't be good," he agreed. "Well, at least it wouldn't be the kind of trouble we should take care of...I think," he added, starting to feel unsure.

It was a well-known fact that Shinn had a quick temper; Lunamaria, though not as hotheaded, didn't hesitate to express her feelings and thoughts. They might possibly cause a major enough scene for the security staff to have to intervene. And in that case, Athrun had to get involved as the one in charge of the security of the event and the couple's friend.

"Ah...well, let's pray to stars things won't come down to it," Meyrin suggested with a little grimace, probably worrying about the same thing as he.

He gave his head a little shake. "I suppose it's the only thing we can do."

He started moving his feet, motioning Meyrin to follow him. They returned to work, discussing security plans. The Ambassador was going to give a speech on a platform which was in the middle of construction. They went to briefly talk with the construction workers and were assured that the platform would be complete on time.

After that, they went back to walking through the park while examining each area.

"Although we are going to inspect the platform the previous day, and hopefully earlier the day, it's best we make sure there is nothing wrong with it right before the Ambassador makes..."

Athrun's voice trailed off as he caught a sight of something unexpected.

"Lieutenant Colonel?"

At Meyrin's puzzled voice, he shifted his attention to her. "Ah, sorry. I got distracted a little."

She was still looking at him quizzically. "It's rare for you to be like that during work," she commented as her gaze turned in the direction he had been looking at.

He hoped she wouldn't figure out what had attracted his attention, but it turned out a futile hope.

"Is that what distracted you?" Her finger was pointing at a kebab stand on a street next to the park.

"Um...yeah... I never saw a kebab stand in PLANT," he said a little defensively.

"Ah, it seems like a very recent thing. I've heard there're only a few kebab stands in the whole PLANT, though it's becoming popular especially among young people," Meyrin, who was more knowledgeable about trends in PLANT, or in any other place for that matter, informed him.

Then, a teasing smile spread over her face. "Speaking of kebabs...I remember hearing that our mutual _friend_ quite likes them, hmm?"

He averted his eyes and insisted, "I just thought it was an unusual sight." He wasn't lying, not unless they counted lying by omission anyway.

"Of course." Her voice made it clear that she was smiling, maybe feeling like laughing, not believing his words. "I'm sure that's why that kebab stand caught your interest."

"Is that Chief Representative Athha you're talking about?"

A male voice suddenly echoed in Athrun's ear, coming from the headset he was wearing, and startled him. He had almost forgotten that a couple of his other subordinates were checking the other side of the park and that they could hear his conversation with Meyrin through the communication devices they were all wearing since Athrun's and Meyrin's microphones were on right now.

And he certainly had not expected one of the other soldiers to have heard about Cagalli's fancy for kebabs and put two and two together. Now that he thought about it, though, he probably should have. Cagalli was a public figure and quite popular, especially in the Orb's military. And it was a public knowledge that he and Meyrin had been Cagalli's comrades.

His body frozen, he frantically recalled his conversation with Meyrin, checking whether either of them had said something that revealed the true nature of his relationship with Cagalli. It didn't seem that way, to his great relief. But he couldn't relax yet. He now had to come up with a way to evade the question.

"Does she like kebabs too? Ah, yes, I think I've heard that." His eyes turned to the redhead next to him who was talking back to her co-worker. "But I was actually talking about Captain Waltfeld. I mean, Mr. Waltfeld," she amended, since the man in question was now a civilian working at Morgenrote.

She then gave a reassuring smile at Athrun, who was staring at her dumbly, before continuing to speak. "He mentioned his wish to eat kebabs several times during the Second War when me and Lieutenant Colonel Zala were on board the Eternal together with him. And I just remembered that." She chuckled. "He can be funny, and his show of disappointment over the lack of kebabs among our supplies was rather memorable."

"Huh, I didn't know about Mr. Waltfeld. Was he really so funny?" the soldier on the other side of the line asked.

"Don't you know he painted his pilot suits so that they looked like a tiger? How can a man who does such a thing not be funny?"

"You gotta be kidding me."

"Nope. If you have a doubt, you can ask Mr. Waltfeld himself. I bet he'd be more than happy to describe his pilot suits. Come to think of it, he might still have one."

Hearing the casual exchange, Athrun remembered that the soldier Meyrin was talking with was rather close to her. Then, he would surely believe her words that she and Athrun had not been talking about Cagalli. The thought relieved Athrun further.

"Wow, I might actually—what? Oh, yeah, that can be a problem." It seemed the other soldier on the other side of the park had said something to the man who had been chatting with Meyrin. His tone changed as he started speaking again. "Lieutenant Colonel, there's a big dumpster here at the east corner of the park."

"How big is it?" Athrun asked, knitting his eyebrows, his mind instantly back to work with all the other things put aside for now. The dumpster wasn't mentioned in the layout the city council had provided.

"Big enough for an adult to be able to hide inside."

Athrun's frown deepened. He didn't like what he was hearing. Terrorists probably wouldn't hide in the dumpster for there were much easier ways for them to access to the festival, but they could hide a huge bomb there.

"We'd better request the city council to remove it on the day of the festival." As he said so, he typed it in his mobile computer. "Good work. Stay watchful."

"Will do," his subordinate on the line replied. "Ah, but do you mind if we make a quick stop at a store just across the street? I need to take a leak."

"Go ahead. Just contact us again when you have something to report," Athrun said.

"Roger that."

The soldier cut off the connection, turning off his microphone. Athrun did the same with his, then let out a long sigh of relief, and tiredness.

"Thank you," he sincerely said to Meyrin who had also turned off her microphone so that their conversation was now completely private.

She shook her head. "It's nothing. Besides, I'm the one who carelessly brought up Cagalli-san in the first place when others could hear it."

"Still. I couldn't think of a way to divert the conversation." He sighed again.

He really should keep his guard up, he told himself. He couldn't afford such a slip he had almost made earlier. Cagalli and he were far from ready to go public. And more importantly, the world was even farther from ready to deal with their relationship; it was still in the middle of recovering from the damages of the recent wars. And the relationship between Coordinators and Naturals, though improving little by little, wasn't that good yet.

"I really hope you and Cagalli-san can be publicly together soon. It must be tiring to keep your relationship secret," Meyrin said sympathetically.

He lifted his shoulders. "It can't be helped. Sometimes, you should be patient and wait for the right time."

To tell the truth, he didn't like his and Cagalli's situation, that they had to hide their feelings for each other. But he wouldn't give in to his impatience and try to rush things again. It was fortunate that his mistake during the Second Bloody Valentine War had not ruined their relationship. And he would never gamble with his most important relationship, hoping for another luck.

"Yeah, but I don't think I could bear all the troubles if I were in your position." Meyrin paused, then added, "And if you reveal you're dating Cagalli-san, it'll make my life a lot easier as well as yours."

Although her tone was light and rather teasing, his shoulders sagged. "Right...I'm sorry about that."

Thanks to Lunamaria who had made a sisterly intervention and brought the matter to his attention, he was aware that people, curious about the rumor concerning him and Meyrin, regularly pestered the younger redhead, who was more approachable than he was, to find out the truth. She of course denied the rumor. He did, too, when someone asked him about it.

However, he couldn't clearly say his relationship with Meyrin was just professional, and somewhat friendly, when Cagalli was dragged into the conversation. In such a case, he just dismissed the conversation with elusive words like he had several days ago after the incident with the brunette with a citrus scent. And that ambiguous attitude of his seemed to be part of why the rumor had not yet disappeared even though both he and Meyrin had been denying it.

Being bothered by people's nosiness himself, he felt quite guilty that his secret was causing troubles for someone else as well, especially when it was someone he should be paying his debt to instead of increasing his debt to her.

"Ah...sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel bad." Meyrin appeared to be feeling bad herself. "I was just joking. It's not your fault people are curious about your love life. And I understand why you and Cagalli-san can't go public yet."

"Yes, but still..."

An awkward silence fell around them. With an uncomfortable face, Meyrin looked around, then perked up.

"If you feel like you owe me, how about you buy one for me?" She pointed her finger at the kebab stand. "It's about time for lunch. And then, we can forget about this. How's that?" She looked up at him through her lashes, smiling coyly.

He didn't think he could repay his debt to her by only one kebab, but understood she was trying to lighten the mood. He nodded appreciatively. "I accept."

She smiled with a mixture of satisfaction and relief. He returned a small but genuine smile. He was really grateful to the redhead for helping him and Cagalli, not just today.

More than half a year ago, about three months after he, and Meyrin, had been assigned to work in PLANT, Cagalli had paid a diplomatic visit to the country as a part of the effort to mend the relationship between Orb and PLANT.

Even though he had not said anything, much less asked, Meyrin had talked his assistant into adjusting his schedule and delegating some of his work to others including Meyrin herself so that he could have some alone time with Cagalli despite her busy schedule. The time he and Cagalli had spent together had been brief, but it had still made him happy.

At that time, with Lacus's advice, he and Cagalli had sent Meyrin a box of expensive chocolates from a store which was apparently very popular among women as a thank-you gift. Maybe he should consider sending another gift to her for today, and for all the troubles she had to endure because of him. He could buy another box of chocolates, though he couldn't remember the store's name and had to ask Lacus again. Or he could give Meyrin more vacation days so that she could spend time with her family and friends.

If necessary, he would cede his vacation days to her. He didn't have much need for them anyway, since it was almost impossible for him to take a vacation long enough to go to Orb. And even if he could, Cagalli wouldn't be able to squeeze in much time, if any, to spend with him. So, it was probably better to give those vacation days to someone who could make better use of.

Making a mental note, he turned on his microphone and told his other subordinates on the other side of the park to take a thirty-minute lunch break, then turned it off again. He and Meyrin proceeded to head for the kebab stand, the redhead walking a couple of steps behind him as usual.

"You know," she started after a little, "I sometimes think Big Sister and Shinn should be a bit more...aware of how fortunate they are, being able to be open about their relationship unlike you and Cagalli-san."

He gave an uneasy shrug, feeling as if she had seen through his envy toward Shinn and Lunamaria, over their freedom concerning their relationship.

"They probably just need time. I suppose they'll figure out how to stay together eventually."

"Or how to stay apart," she added casually. "Whichever suits them better."

Taken aback, he looked over his shoulder at the redhead who gave her own shrug. He had not seriously thought that Shinn and Lunamaria might decide to completely break it off someday, maybe because of his strong unwillingness to do it with his own romantic relationship. But Meyrin was right. It was possible, especially considering the couple's lack of hesitation toward a breakup.

"I guess so," he said, turning his face forward.

He didn't exactly like the idea, but he was aware that he was feeling that way mostly because of his worry about his future with Cagalli rather than because of concern for Shinn and Lunamaria. And really, what the raven-head and the older redhead would do with their relationship was none of Athrun's business.

So he pushed the thought of his former comrades and their romance out of his mind. Then, trying to change his mood, he focused on the kebab stand which was already several steps away. The large chunk of meat on a stick looked juicy and delicious. It smelled good, too.

The sight and smell stirred memories in him. He and Cagalli had sometimes gone to a large park in an entertainment district of the city on her day off during the time when he was her bodyguard; they had always eaten kebabs at a kebab stand there. Although the chefs at the Athha mansion and the Executive Office Building regularly cooked kebabs for her, she insisted it tasted and felt different when she ate one at a food stand just like everyone else. And she ate the kebabs from the stand quite happily—though she was usually enthusiastic about any food.

"Which sauce are you going to order, Athrun-san?"

The question brought him back to the present. As he looked at Meyrin, who was standing next to him and curiously observing the menu on the kebab stand, a small smile the memories had brought to his lips were still there.

"Well..." He actually preferred yogurt source, but answered, "I'm getting chili sauce."

Then, he couldn't help widening his smile, imagining that a certain blonde would be smiling with satisfaction and approval if—when—she heard about this.

* * *

:


	5. Calls

:

* * *

Athrun shifted in his chair which was set in front of the communication equipment embedded in a wall of his room—right after moving into this room, he had replaced the equipment that came with the room which could be used only for calls inside PLANT with a more expensive and sophisticated one which was capable of making and receiving calls to and from outside PLANT like the Earth—and checked a clock on another wall. It was two minutes before eleven.

A short e-mail from Cagalli had come yesterday morning—or rather, he had read it in the morning though it had arrived a couple of hours earlier while he was sleeping—in which she asked whether it was all right for her to call him the next evening, at eleven p.m. in PLANT. He had returned an e-mail which simply said it was fine with him.

Thus, he was waiting for the call.

This wasn't the first time she had called. Although their busy schedules, especially hers, and the time difference caused them to talk via e-mail most of the time, they called each other once in a while whenever they could match their free time.

Still, he felt slightly nervous, for he was almost certain that what he had written in the last e-mail to her was the reason for this call. It was actually irrational. He knew she wouldn't scold him for the sentence he had added at the end, saying something like he shouldn't be so weak. If anything, she must be worried about him.

Despite his attempt to be more open after the Second Bloody Valentine War, however, he was still not completely comfortable revealing his weakness. He was making progress, but old habits died hard. Besides, he felt bad if he had made her worried again.

As he fretted, the time turned eleven o'clock. Three more minutes passed, then a call came in. He quickly answered.

"Hello."

"Hello. Thanks for making time. But you didn't do anything heedless to make this call possible, did you? Like putting off a lot of work so that you have to work hard all day tomorrow?"

His face softened at the rush of words and her serious expression. "No, nothing like that. You know I don't accumulate work."

"Yeah, but sometimes, many tasks just come to you out of the blue and at the same time."

"That's true," he agreed, then asked, "How about you? You are spending your lunch break calling me."

"Oh, don't worry about that. The kitchen staff is making sandwiches for me right now, and we can talk while I eat."

"That's good." Relieved, he hesitantly added, "Still, I'm sorry if I worried you with my last e-mail. I didn't mean it."

"I know. And I'm not worried about you." Cagalli paused. "Well, a bit. But that's not why I called." Her face turned a little shy. "It's just, you know, I miss you, too...a lot. And, well, I wanted to see you, and hear you."

Warmth and love spread inside his chest as a tender smile curved his lips. "I'm glad you called," he said softly.

She smiled back with the same tenderness. "Yeah, it's nice to actually talk with you. And you look fine."

"You, too. For a girl who eats so many kebabs," he added teasingly.

She pulled a face. "Do you seriously want to start that argument now? I warn you, I'm fully ready if you are."

"Well...I don't think it's a good way to spend our precious time. In fact, there is something else I wanted to tell you related to kebabs."

Her face turned curious. He told her about seeing a kebab stand a few days ago and eating a kebab with chili sauce, and she nodded with a pleased smile.

"I'm glad to hear you've come to your senses and realized chili sauce is much, much better than yogurt sauce." Then, she made a scowl. "Unlike some idiots I know."

He raised an eyebrow. "Did something happen between you and Mr. Waltfeld?"

Her face scrunched up even more, which was funny and actually adorable. "He and Mwu got this stupid idea: Yogurt Sauce Alliance. Or Yogurt Sauce League. They were arguing which name was better, though they agreed they should make everyone join. Can you believe it?"

"Ah..." He fumbled for the answer. But apparently, it was a rhetorical question since she just kept ranting.

"I don't know which of them got the idea. Maybe Mwu. Then again, Tiger tried to make me and Kira eat kebabs with yogurt sauce when we first met face-to-face. Well, whichever it is, it's such a ridiculous idea. Chili sauce is the best sauce for kebabs, and everyone else should know it." She stopped for a moment, then added, "Probably, I should form a team of my own to deliver the truth to everyone. Team Chili Sauce."

"I see..." he murmured half-heartedly.

He strongly suspected that the older men had entertained the idea of so-called Yogurt Sauce Alliance only to tease Cagalli. But he wasn't sure whether he should tell her his speculation. It could calm her down, or might get her more worked up. As easy to understand as she was, she could be unpredictable like that. It was probably best to do nothing that might fuel her irritation and let her work off steam, he decided.

"And our team is already as large as their Yogurt Sauce Whatever."

"Is it?" he asked curiously.

"Sure. Their team has two members: Tiger and Mwu. And our team also has two: me and you."

He raised an eyebrow again. He had not known that he was included in this...battle, especially on the side of Team Chili Sauce since he usually picked yogurt sauce.

"I wouldn't be so sure. You know I'm not exactly a devoted fan of chili sauce," he pointed out in a teasing tone.

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you planning to betray me?"

"Can't I be like...a neutral third party? Some people like to change sauce choices from time to time instead of limiting it to one."

She huffed. "You are so indecisive. Just like Kira. No wonder you two are best friends. Well, at least I can count on Lacus to be on my side. She is a true friend, not like my unreliable boyfriend and brother."

She stuck out her lips in a pout toward him, who was wondering whether he should be offended or amused by the insults, before twisting them in a thoughtful way.

"But it's still two of us against two of them. And I can't recruit Murrue-san since she prefers yogurt sauce. So does Myrna. Kisaka's like you and Kira..." Her face then lit up and her attention was back to Athrun. "How about Meyrin? You two ate kebabs together, right? Which sauce did she pick?"

"Well..." He tried to recall the redhead's order at the kebab stand, but his memory was rather fuzzy, probably because he had been focused on his own sauce choice and the time when he was going to tell his girlfriend about it.

"I'll ask her about which sauce she prefers if you want me to," he said, giving up his attempt.

Cagalli made a face. "For the umpteenth time, you should pay more attention to others, you know. Not just to their work, but more to personal stuff."

He shrugged, knowing that making an excuse wouldn't work. Fortunately, Cagalli let him off the hook easily, maybe because her priority was kebabs.

"Well, ask Meyrin anyway," she continued. "You should also ask your other friends while I recruit here in Orb. Before Tiger and Mwu know it, my team will be a lot larger than their team."

He wasn't so positive about the prospect, but wisely kept his opinion to himself. Although he wanted and tried to be as open with her as he could, there were times when being silent was in his best interest, and probably hers.

"Hey, how is the preparation for that war exercise going on by the way?" Apparently satisfied at the estimated victory of her team, she changed the subject. "It's already only two days till then, right? Wait, it's three days there? Anyway, Yza—oh, wait. Come in!"

She suddenly looked up, half standing up. He silently watched a maid, whose face didn't show on the screen because of the camera angle, come to Cagalli's desk and place a tray with a plate of sandwiches and a glass of iced tea on it. Sitting in her chair again, Cagalli thanked her; the maid curtsied, then left.

"Now, here's my lunch." Cagalli clasped her hands together, smiling happily.

With a small smile, he waited while she took a bite and chewed it. He liked to watch her eat. She ate with quite a pleasure, which he could see even through a camera. It was contagious and he usually ate a larger amount of food when he shared a meal with her, though it was also because she insisted he should eat more.

But this time, her pleasure for food wasn't the only thing that grabbed his attention. Her tongue flicked over her lips to lick off the white sauce on them, and he unconsciously swallowed. He knew how soft the lips were, molding against his own, and how hard they were, kissing back fiercely. He even knew how the tongue danced against his; it had been shy at first, but gradually become bolder as she got used to kissing. Both the shyness and the boldness aroused sensual hunger in him, which he had never known he had.

Even now, million miles away from her actual body, he felt his body warm up, longing—desiring for her. His mind pictured cupping her cheeks with his hands and pressing his lips against hers, then thrusting his tongue into her mouth as deeply as he could, tasting every corner of the warm mouth which was more delicious than anything his tongue had ever encountered.

"So, where were we?" she asked after swallowing the first bite, which snapped him out of his fantasy.

"Um..." He coughed, glad that she seemed too distracted by her lunch to notice where his thoughts had been. "The war exercise," he recalled while trying to keep his voice and face as cool as possible.

"Right. Yzak must've been working hard to defeat you."

Until two days ago, an Orb fleet had been working with a ZAFT fleet for a couple of weeks on an operation to remove space debris that had come from the recent wars so that spaceships could travel between PLANT and the moon or the Earth more safely and easily, and to collect dead bodies if possible. The fleets had completed the joint operation without any troubles, and arrived at PLANT this afternoon. Athrun had not joined the actual work, but authorized it as the highest-ranking military officer of Orb in PLANT, and received a report on the operation from the commander of the fleet.

The members of the Orb fleet had a few days off, then were going to join military personnel at the Orb Embassy—not all of them since some of them had to stay to guard the Embassy—to perform a war exercise with a ZAFT troop whose commander was Yzak; the commander of the Orb troop was Athrun. According to what he had heard from his informants, namely Kira and Dearka, Yzak had almost forcefully snatched the position of the commander in this exercise from another White Coat.

Athrun sighed a little. "You bet. He looked quite determined to settle the score after he'd lost to me in a chess game. It was a couple of weeks ago and I think I wrote to you about it."

Then again, he might be a little thankful to his old comrade. Thinking about Yzak and the troubles the silver-head might be going to cause almost dissipated Athrun's craving for Cagalli. Almost.

"Yeah, I remember." Cagalli chuckled. "Of course he can't lose to you twice in succession, can he? I feel almost sorry for the rest of the ZAFT troop. He must be giving them a real workout in preparation for the exercise."

"That reminds me. Dearka sent me an e-mail full of complaints several days ago. Yzak's been putting the other soldiers through rigorous training and Dearka blames me for it." He made a small scowl. Dearka's accusation had been utterly unfair.

She let out a laugh. "Ah, I can imagine. I think you should really brace yourself this time."

He gave a nonchalant shrug. "I'll be fine. It's not like this is the first time we are in such a situation."

"You know acting like that makes Yzak even more aggressive, don't you?" she said with an amused face before gulping her tea.

He pulled a face. "I very much doubt that he will change his attitude however I act."

She thought a little. "It's actually hard to imagine. Yzak acting more...friendly toward you," she agreed. "But you said his attitude had softened a bit, yeah?"

"To an extent, yes," he admitted. "But it's been three years, and he doesn't seem to change any more. If anything, his attitude has worsened over the past year."

"That's probably because he is excited to have you close again, to be able to have some competitions with you more often. Excitement can make people aggressive," she pointed out. "I can very much sympathize with that."

"Maybe. But I suspect your definition of 'excited' is quite different from his."

She appeared to want to argue more, but then, her face changed as if she had remembered something. Her hand, which had been about to grab the second sandwich, stopped.

"Speaking of competitions, I had one a couple days ago. When I went to a base, I stopped by at a shooting range as usual. Some young soldiers were having a competition, and I convinced the winner to have a one-on-one contest with me. And I tell you, she was really good though she's been in the military for only two years. I lost to her. Though it was a very close match," she added, emphasizing "very." "I got her to agree with having another contest with me someday. And I'm going to win next time, surely."

He smiled at her determined face. Although she didn't like losing, she loved a challenge. She seemed thrilled at finding another worthy opponent. She was probably also pleased that the young soldier had not held back because of Cagalli's position. Cagalli preferred being treated just like others to being treated as someone superior or special.

Her enthusiasm about a future competition was a pleasant sight to watch, and that was why he thought that her excitement was different from what Yzak seemed to feel about a competition with him. While Cagalli seemed to genuinely enjoy competing with someone who could beat her, Yzak seemed to hate the idea; while Cagalli admired her opponent's skills, Yzak became hostile when he lost, at least with Athrun.

In Athrun's opinion, if Yzak was excited to have Athrun close again, it was probably because he would have more chances to defeat Athrun. Although Cagalli believed that Yzak simply liked to have Athrun as a rival and compete with him, Athrun believed she was mistaken.

He admitted that his girlfriend and the silver-head shared some similarities, like having a short temper, but he didn't think they were as similar as she belie—

A beep pulled him out of his introspection.

"Another call?" Cagalli asked with a sobering face.

"Yes. Hold on."

He touched a button on the console to answer the new call. The face of one of the Ambassador's aides appeared on the screen.

"Lieutenant Colonel Zala, I'm sorry to call you this late. But if you are available, the Ambassador would like to talk to you about tomorrow's meeting."

"The meeting about the appliance-manufacturing factory?"

"Yes. Would you come to his estate?"

"Tell him I'll be there right away," Athrun replied without hesitation. Although he very much wanted to continue chatting with Cagalli, he couldn't neglect his job. It wasn't the kind of person he was.

The aide smiled, then hung up after they exchanged farewells.

With a sigh, Athrun resumed the call with Cagalli.

"Sorry for the wait."

At his voice, she, who seemed to have been finishing her lunch while waiting for him, turned her attention back to the screen. "It's okay." She briefly paused, examining his face. "I suppose you have to go?"

Her face and voice were disappointed and wistful, but also understanding. After all, she would do the same if it was she who had gotten called into work. Their mutual friends often said they were both a workaholic, and he didn't deny it, unlike her who insisted he was the only one obsessed with work and she wasn't.

"Yeah, sorry. The Ambassador wants to have some talk about the factory in Neo Heliopolis. We have a meeting about it tomorrow."

"I see. I've read the Ambassador's report. You guys are proving how hard it is to get PLANT and the Atlantic Federation to agree on anything, huh?" she said with a wry smile.

"It's certainly tough. Even with the support of the Chairwoman of PLANT," he replied with a smile of the same kind.

"Just don't forget to sleep, and eat," she said, staring hard at him. He wasn't sure she was trying to intimidate him into listening to her or burn him into her memory. Maybe both at the same time.

"Same goes for you," he returned, etching her—the speaking and moving image of her without the mask of the Chief Representative—into his memory.

Although she loved eating and rarely skipped a meal voluntarily, there were times when she didn't have enough time to have a proper meal. And she tended to cut some sleep to get her work done.

She looked like she wanted to quip, to banter with him, but just shrugged, probably remembering he had a place to go to. "Sure. See you then. I'll write to you soon." She waved a hand.

"I'm looking forward to it. See you." He waved back before she cut the connection.

He stood up and went to take a file on the said factory out of his book shelf, then started changing into his uniform he had taken off when coming home.

The project of building a colony succeeding Heliopolis had first emerged in Orb before the Second Bloody Valentine War. Although the project had been on hiatus because of the eruption of another war, the Orb government and Congress had given a green light to resuming the project about half a year ago, given the improving relationship between Orb and PLANT.

Heliopolis was still a quite delicate matter, for both Orb and PLANT, however. The colony was the place where Orb, betraying PLANT's trust, had been creating a warship and mobile suits for the Earth Forces, and the colony had been destroyed as a result of an operation of ZAFT's to steal the mobile suits.

To smooth the process, reassure those in PLANT who were suspicious about Orb's intention to build a new colony, Orb had proposed creating an appliance-manufacturing factory funded by both the Orb government and the PLANT government where technicians from two countries could work together.

Although it had never been clearly said by either side, it was a way for both Orb and PLANT to make up for their actions during the war to the other party without making official apologies. By letting the PLANT government own a part of the factory, Orb made it easier for PLANT to monitor what was going on in the colony, in Orb; by agreeing to it, PLANT, which had the most advanced technology in the world, was going to share their engineering knowledge with Orb and helped Orb strengthen its position as one of the world leaders in science and technology. PLANT had accepted the proposal.

However, as the plan got off the ground, the Atlantic Federation had started to complain, not officially but persistently, that Orb and PLANT were working against the Earth Alliance, planning to create some secret weapons in the said factory. Not liking to dismiss the Federation's complaint and worsen the relationship with it, Orb had suggested that the Federation join the project and share the ownership of the factory, which the Federation accepted under the guise of reluctance, though most people were fairly sure that it had actually been pretty enthusiastic.

But getting PLANT and the Atlantic Federation to cooperate was more difficult than estimated beforehand. And Orb, being a neutral country, had to act as a go-between; everyone involved in the project had been working hard, both in the Orb Embassies and in the mainland.

Imagining the meeting the Ambassador of Orb in PLANT was attending tomorrow where he undoubtedly had to hear for hours how untrustworthy the Atlantic Federation was from those PLANT politicians and technicians who were fervently against the Earth Alliance, Athrun shook his head in sympathy as his hands fastened his belt. At least, Athrun himself didn't have to attend the meeting.

He was actually not allowed to involve in anything concerning Neo Heliopolis officially. Since he had been one of the ZAFT soldiers who triggered the end of Heliopolis, some Cabinet members and military higher-ups of Orb had objected to his taking a part in the project, afraid that Athrun's presence might be used against Orb. However, the Ambassador unofficially sought for Athrun's opinion often, which Athrun was happy to give.

Ready to go, Athrun glanced at the clock on a wall as he grabbed his car key and the file. He lived in a room of the condominium the Orb Embassy rented for its employee who lived on their own. With his position and salary, he could live in a bigger and fancier place if he wanted, but he was content with living in the condominium and had no intention to move out. It was close to the Embassy, and he was used to living in a military residence which wasn't very large anyway.

The Ambassador, with his wife and children, lived in a house in a high-class residential area which wasn't near the Embassy. But given that it was nearly midnight, Athrun estimated he could reach there in less than thirty minutes. Though it meant that he would be coming back to his room probably after two or three in the morning, or even later.

Not that he had complaints about it. He knew the importance of the meeting and that the Ambassador wouldn't send for him this late at night if he didn't think it was crucial. Not to mention Athrun was glad about the Ambassador's willingness to listen to his opinion, which showed the man's trust in Athrun.

_But I'll try to have some sleep_, he inwardly promised to Cagalli, glancing at the communication equipment whose screen had been showing her face a short time ago as he left his room.

His job was important. His dream was important. But so was his girlfriend. And he was determined to keep his promise to her that he would take better care of himself. There was a tender expression on his face as he closed and locked the door.

Then, he put on a calm, serious expression, transitioning from just Athrun to Lieutenant Colonel Zala. Straightening his back and jacket, he started down the corridor toward the elevator in big steps.

* * *

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	6. Friendships

:

* * *

"You just wait, Athrun. It won't be long that you can gloat over this. I will get you next time, and it'll be soon," Yzak declared, his blue eyes blazing and his pointing finger almost stabbing into Athrun's nose.

His camouflage gear, or rather his entire body, was coated with soil. Athrun was in no better condition. They had just finished a three-day war exercise in one of the military colonies which contained various landscapes so that ZAFT soldiers could get used to combats on the Earth; this time, they had used the mountain area. And the Orb forces led by Athrun had won.

Athrun let out a sigh, and held out a hand. "It was a good battle, _Commander Jule_."

Although he didn't enjoy it, he usually didn't mind Yzak's attitude much. But right now, they were surrounded by many soldiers from the Orb's military and ZAFT. This war exercise was supposed to show and strengthen the _amicable_ relationship between two militaries and Athrun and Yzak, as officers in charge, were expected to act accordingly, which the silver-head had obviously forgotten.

"Yeah, it wasn't a big loss, Commander. We were pretty neck and neck," Dearka, standing beside Yzak, chimed in.

The silver-head's glaring face turned to the blond, but then, Yzak seemed to finally remember how he should act. With clear effort, he schooled his feature though his irritation wasn't completely erased from his face.

A forced smile on his lips, Yzak took Athrun's hand. "It was _nice_ fighting with you, Lieutenant Colonel Zala. ...Congratulations on your victory."

As he begrudgingly gave the expected applause, Yzak squeezed Athrun's hand too tightly as if trying to crush it, whether consciously or unconsciously.

But Athrun kept his face perfectly calm. "Thank you, Commander Jule. On behalf of the Orb's military, I commend the skills and discipline of your soldiers."

As he let go of Athrun's hand, Yzak's mouth twitched, obviously wanting to spit out a biting comment, but he restrained himself this time.

"Same to you. The Orb's military certainly lives up to its reputation."

With that, they saluted to each other. The rest of the soldiers followed their lead. As they lowered their hands, which marked the end of the exchange, Yzak spun around and stormed away in the direction of his locker room where he was undoubtedly going to take his anger out on things and people unfortunate enough to be present.

Dearka looked at Athrun and gave a shrug, then began chatting with other soldiers, showing no sign of following his commander.

Athrun also started talking with his subordinates, giving praises to those who had performed well during the exercise. Looking around to make sure he had not missed anyone, he realized that the Orb soldiers and the ZAFT soldiers were mingling well, talking with smiles and laughs.

It was probably because of the joint operation in which most of the soldiers here had worked together for a couple of weeks. One of the purposes of the operation had been building another bridge of friendship, or at least comradeship, between two militaries. Although Athrun had not been directly involved with the operation, it was nice to see that the operation seemed to have succeeded in that aspect as well.

Feeling satisfied, he watched them for a while before heading to one of the locker rooms assigned to the Orb soldiers. Noticing it, Dearka raised a hand in farewell; Athrun returned the gesture.

While he was washing up his face and hands at a hand-wash station on his way, an idea occurred to him. He might turn in a suggestion to expand the soldier exchange program between Orb and PLANT. The program had been working well so far, and the earlier sight of the two groups of soldiers interacting friendlily seemed like another good basis on such a move. Though he needed to put more thought into it and conduct a thorough research before making an official suggestion.

Storing the idea into his brain for future exploration, he entered the locker room, went to his locker, and started taking off his camouflage gear. But his hands stopped as his eyes fell on the red stone pendant he was wearing underneath it.

Kira had mentioned that while Cagalli was a part of a resistance group somewhere in Africa during the First Bloody Valentine War, she had been called Goddess of Victory. Athrun was far from religious or superstitious, but when he had left his room for this colony, he had grabbed the amulet on the spur of the moment, partly because he didn't want to let it out of sight for days after nearly losing it during the Second Bloody Valentine War. And he had worn it during the exercise since he had brought it and he wanted to keep it close. Maybe, that decision of his had contributed to the victory of the Orb forces.

Although he didn't seriously believe it, she would probably be happy to hear such a thought. He was going to write it in his next e-mail which he was planning to write this evening. Since he had not gone back to his room, and therefore had been unable to check his e-mails, for three days, it was most likely that a new e-mail from her was waiting for him when he returned.

The thought then led his mind to the call with her about a week ago, and he felt his belief strengthen: Cagalli and Yzak weren't similar at all when it came to competitions. Yzak's attitude earlier was another, quite strong proof. Athrun could also write that in his e-mail. Cagalli might argue back. But arguing with her was a part of fun.

"Are you happy you won against an old rival, Lieutenant Colonel?"

The voice and the weight of an arm around his shoulders pulled him out of his reverie. Athrun turned his face and attention to Iko.

"Where did you hear Yzak and I were old rivals?" he asked curiously.

"Lieutenant Elthman told us some stories from when you guys were in the ZAFT academy," Iko explained. "And just now, you were smiling quite happily, which is rather unusual for you. No offense."

"Um...none taken," Athrun said, fighting off a blush. He really had to stop showing his feelings for Cagalli so obviously without realizing it.

But it wasn't like he had been so careless when he was actually with her in public, he defended himself internally. At such an occasion, he took great care to keep his guard up, paying more attention to his expressions, words, or actions. It wasn't easy to stay as guarded when he wasn't directly interacting with her or even talking about or seeing her.

"It's good to see that side of you, actually," Iko said, opening his locker. "It makes you seem like someone just like us."

Athrun made listening sounds as he quickly took off the amulet and put it back safely in a bag in his locker where no one could see it while Iko wasn't looking at him. He preferred to keep his treasures to himself. No sooner did Athrun return to shedding his clothes than Iko's eyes were back on him.

"You have the day after tomorrow off, yeah? What are you gonna do?" Iko asked, taking off his own camouflage gear.

Iko was right about Athrun's schedule. After their visit to the park, Athrun had offered to give Meyrin his vacation days, but she had declined, pointing out that Cagalli would be displeased when finding out about it. Apparently, the redhead had somehow heard about Cagalli reproaching him about his workaholic lifestyle.

So, considering that the Human Resources—in addition to Cagalli—had been pushing him to use more vacation days and that he didn't have a lot of work this week, he had decided that he wouldn't need more than a day to take care of the pile of work that must be waiting for him at his office at the Embassy after three days' absence and that he could take the next day off then, though he didn't have any specific plans.

"I'm not sure," he honestly answered, but then, an idea popped up. "Maybe I'm going to watch a movie." He paused to recall the title of the movie Cagalli had recommended. "'Across the Seven Seas,' I think. A friend recommended it to me."

Iko clapped his hands. "Ah, I know it! It's not very popular, but well-made. Your friend has a good taste."

"Is it?" Athrun returned, then slightly knitted his brows. Iko was rubbing his left shoulder with a grimace. "Does it still hurt?" Athrun's keen eyes didn't miss that there was no sign of treatment on Iko's shoulder which was bare now. "Don't forget to go to a medic and have that shoulder checked before we leave."

Iko had gotten engaged in a combat with two ZAFT soldiers during the exercise and his shoulder had gotten injured, though it had not seemed bad enough to need immediate medical attention.

Iko didn't appear eager. "Honestly, I just wanna go home and have some lazy time for the rest of the day. Beer and some sports game and sleep. Maybe this'll heal itself."

Athrun gave his subordinate a disapproving look. "You _must_ see a medic. Keep your body able and healthy is one of our duties as soldiers."

Iko pulled a face, but sighed. "I know, I know. I'll do as you say, sir." Then his face turned into a grin. "Ah, but you can't really talk, can you, Lieutenant Colonel?"

Athrun looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"Lieutenant Elthman told us some other interesting stories about the days when you two were comrades. Someone often had to pull you away from your mobile suit or scold you for not eating or sleeping enough, huh?"

Athrun slightly narrowed his eyes, not due to annoyance. Well, he was a little annoyed at Dearka for being a big mouth. But his primary concern was whether the dark-skinned blond had blabbed that the person who had usually scolded him was Cagalli. Even if Dearka had, it hardly confirmed the rumor about Athrun and Cagalli. She had done such a thing even when they were only friends. Still, Athrun should squash any suspicion about his relationship with Cagalli before it spread any further.

But there was any sign on Iko's face or gesture to indicate that kind of suspicion. And he wasn't the type to be able to maintain a calm face when he had such a juicy gossip in his hands. Therefore, Athrun concluded that Dearka had probably been careful enough not to let out any information that could fuel the rumor about Athrun and Cagalli, though he was still going to send an e-mail to the blond later and make sure about it.

Hiding his relief, Athrun nonchalantly shrugged. "But I didn't let my condition interfere with my performance—especially due to my laziness," he added in a warning tone.

Twisting his lips, Iko muttered, "Yeah, of course you didn't."

His subordinate silently resumed taking off his clothes for a little while before opening his mouth again.

"You know, Lieutenant Colonel, I know you didn't mean bragging or anything. You're probably just worried about my injury and want me to follow the rules. But...maybe you can talk a little differently? Like more friendlily? You can be a bit too stern at times."

Athrun turned his face to Iko. "Am I?"

"Yup."

Athrun thought a little, then murmured almost to himself as memories came to his mind, "Kira used to say something like that."

Iko's face lit up. "You mean Commander Yamato? He's your childhood friend, right?" Athrun nodded. "Then he must know you well. You definitely should listen to him."

With a small frown, Athrun considered the suggestion. Socializing had never been his forte. When they were children and going to the same school, Kira had often given him some advice so that Athrun could get along with others better. Come to think of it, other people, like Cagalli, had said things about acting more friendlily or similar stuff, too.

To be honest, however, Athrun had not taken those advice seriously. He had never put much importance on making new friends or keeping them. In fact, he was rather uninterested in most people. It didn't mean he was callous with them. He acted politely toward them and helped them if they were in trouble. But he rarely wanted or sought anything more than civil acquaintanceship or distant friendship from them. It had been working well enough for him. At least, he thought so.

He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Do you think...my attitude is creating a problem among our colleagues?"

Iko's face turned thoughtful. "If you're asking if it interferes with work, I don't think so. You're a good boss, looking after your subordinates well. No one can deny it. But at the same time, you seem aloof, you know. Even come off arrogant sometimes. Well, it's obviously a part of your charm. Girls seem to like a 'cool guy' like you a lot. But it's..." He moved his hands, seemingly trying to find the right word. "...not easy to think of you as our comrade instead of our superior."

He shrugged. "Maybe it's a good thing, especially since we're in the military. Still, since you're so young, I don't think you have to be so rigid all the time. It'll be good for you to hang loose once in a while and make more friends." He patted Athrun's back in the way a person encouraged their junior.

Athrun mulled over Iko's words which had the ring of truth. He still didn't feel the need to make many friends. However, he supposed he needed to learn to build deeper relationships with his colleagues or other people than he would normally like if he wanted to hold a strong position in Orb.

It might not be easy, but it wasn't like he disliked interacting with people or making friends. He was just less interested in those stuff than an average person, it seemed. And he was determined to do even what he wasn't eager to do if it was necessary in order to gain the future he wanted.

After all, he was in a position different from someone like Kira. The brunet might be able to ignore rules and have his way, like refusing to receive official training as a soldier even after becoming a White Coat in ZAFT.

From the things the couple had said now and then, Athrun had a feeling that Kira and Lacus weren't planning to stay in PLANT for the rest of their lives, much less in their current positions. After several years, they were probably going to resign their positions, and might go back to Orb or retire to Reverend Malchio's island again if they thought it was the best way to have the life they wanted.

To them, the place to live didn't have to be PLANT. Not only Kira but also Lacus didn't seem to have a strong emotional attachment to PLANT. She probably didn't feel much hesitation toward leaving the country to be with Kira just like she had after the First Bloody Valentine War. If Kira was accused of not taking his position seriously or Lacus was accused of giving a high position to such a person just because of her romantic relationship with him, they could easily leave their positions, and PLANT, Athrun supposed. Neither of them was the type to desire for or hold onto power and authority.

However, Athrun couldn't choose such a path. He wanted to stay in a position with power and authority so that he could make some achievements, doing something larger than himself and working for the greater good.

Another reason was because Cagalli was different from Lacus. Cagalli could never abandon Orb or stop being an Athha. Orb and her duty to the country would always be a part of her life. After their struggle as a couple during the Second Bloody Valentine War, the one concerning the ring with a red gem, Athrun had come to understand and accept it completely, and still chosen to be with her. Which meant that if they wanted to be officially together, he had to find a way to be accepted by Orb citizens as her partner, a way to protect both his relationship with her and her relationship with Orb. Their future together would have to be nowhere but Orb.

He couldn't afford to indulge his whim like Kira. Not that he wanted to. It wasn't the kind of person he was to begin with. But even if he had been able to allow himself to act as he pleased, it would make it quite difficult for him to become Cagalli Yula Athha's partner then, preventing him from obtaining what he wanted for himself most. Therefore, he had to be cautious of his behavior and act very responsibly. Fortunately, behaving like that wasn't difficult for him at all; he was quite used to it.

In other words, he couldn't run away from the place where he was right now even if things didn't go well here. He had to root himself in the community he was in now and protect his place there. Then, he had to make more effort to get along with people around him. Before, he had not had the reason why he had to invest his resources, his energy and time, into such a task. But now, he had one: the dream he shared with Cagalli.

Besides, putting down roots suited him anyway. He preferred a stable life with a clear purpose, devoting himself to one place and one goal, to drifting from one place to another with no particular purpose. In that sense, he should probably thank Cagalli for giving him a place he felt like settling down in and a goal, or goals, he wanted to pursue with passion.

His experience during the Second Bloody Valentine War, more specifically the one with Shinn, was also affecting him to an extent. He had wanted and tried to create a good relationship with the raven-head. However, he had failed and had not been able to stop the younger soldier from making a mistake with words; he had had to stop Shinn by force. It was one of his regrets. If he had put more effort into getting along with people before he met Shinn, he and Shinn might have been able to resolve their conflict more peacefully, he sometimes mused.

But the thought, the regret, had not led Athrun to reconsider his attitude toward his current colleagues until now. It might be because he had been trying so much to prove himself, prove that he deserved his position. He had been putting quite an effort into acting like an ideal soldier, an ideal boss, and it might have been making him appear more intimidating, or unfriendly, than he otherwise would have come across.

Whether it was true or not, now that he had realized that the way he had been acting might not be best, he needed to try to fix it, find a better way.

"You probably have a point. I'll think about it," he told Iko.

The older soldier grinned. "As a starter, how about you tell me what kind of girl you like? Or is it guys you like? It explains why you're so secretive about your romantic relationships. Either way, opening up is the best way to make friends."

Athrun looked at Iko with weariness. "You never quit, do you, Ensign Palakiko?"

He appreciated Iko's advice, but had absolutely no intention to do this Iko's way. He was going to ask someone else, probably Kira or Cagalli, about how to appear more friendly without talking about his love life.

"Hey, how about you stop that then?" Athrun gave Iko a confused look. "It's about time for you to call me Iko, don't you think?"

Athrun nodded after a moment. "All right. Iko, then." He paused before adding in a lame attempt to banter, "I granted your request, so will you stop prying into my personal life?"

Iko grinned. "Oh, that's entirely another matter, Lieutenant Colonel. You can't escape from me so easily." Despite his words, though, he didn't seem to make another attempt at uncovering Athrun's romantic situation at least right now. "By the way, are you really watching 'Across the Seven Seas' the day after tomorrow?"

Relieved at the change of subject, Athrun replied, "Yes. I suppose I can find a movie streaming site which distributes the movie."

"I actually have that movie in my video archive, and as you know, I have tomorrow and the day after tomorrow off. What do you say about I bring my computer to your place and we watch the movie together?"

Athrun blinked. "That's actually helpful. You really don't mind doing it?"

"Of course. It's just a couple of floors anyway." Iko lived in the same condominium as Athrun. "Plus, it's been a while since the last time I watched it. So, it's a good opportunity. My only condition is you supply beer."

"I can do that." Athrun didn't have a stack of alcohol in his room, but he could buy a pack of beer on his way back today or tomorrow.

"It's decided then." Iko smiled with satisfaction. "I'm on my way to the secret hideout of Lieutenant Colonel Zala, finally!" He made an exaggerated gesture of victory, raising two fists in the air.

"There is nothing secret about my room. Everyone knows where it is," Athrun pointed out.

"Yeah, but no one's been inside it. People are pretty curious about what it's like."

Athrun was completely puzzled. His room was just like any other room in the condominium. Most of his single colleagues living at the condominium should have a fairly accurate idea of how the room looked.

Before Athrun pointed it out, however, another soldier butted in. "Hey, are you really going to Lieutenant Colonel's place, Iko?"

"I sure am." Iko gave a broad grin to the other soldier. "Told you I'm gonna find a way to get in there."

"Wow, I didn't think you'd actually succeed," the other soldier said with near admiration, which Athrun seriously didn't understand. Why in the world were they making such a big deal out of Iko visiting his room?

"Well done, Iko." Yet another soldier joined the conversation. He then pulled Iko close and whispered something.

Iko gave him a thumbs-up. "Of course I'll make a full report. Look forward to hearing it."

The soldier Iko was talking to glanced at Athrun in an almost panicked expression, and then, hurriedly and guiltily looked away from Athrun's knitted eyebrows. In contrast, Iko wasn't acting like he was doing anything wrong.

Shaking his head, Athrun just focused on folding his dirty clothes and pulling clean clothes and a small bag containing his shower goods out of his bag. Although he had just decided to become more friendly with his co-workers, he doubted that trying to understand their weird exchanges would be futile or worthwhile. He could save his energy for some other time.

He also ignored that Iko was seemingly promising to tell other soldiers about Athrun's room after his visit. He wasn't fond of nosy people, and didn't like what Iko was going to do. But Iko was so open about it, making no attempt to hide from Athrun his intention to snoop around Athrun's room, and Athrun found it rather difficult to become annoyed at him. Not enough to withdraw his invitation, anyway.

After all, there was nothing in his room he didn't want Iko to see. Everything that revealed the true nature of his relationship with Cagalli was in his computer which was password-locked. And even if Iko could succeed in peeking into the computer, he would have to get past more barriers, which Athrun happened to have strengthened recently, to reach those information. Athrun was too confident in his ability to create a cybersecurity system to be worried about Iko coming to his room. All he needed to do was run a check on the system before Iko's visit, just in case.

Therefore, he calmly grabbed his stuff, told other soldiers including those who were still talking about Iko's visit to Athrun's room to hurry up, and headed for a shower booth, dropping his camouflage gear, which had been supplied by this colony, into a laundry basket.

There was still plenty of time before the time when those who worked at the Embassy were supposed to get on a bus and leave for the shuttle port. From there, they were going back to Aprilius One where the Embassy was by shuttle. Then, they had the rest of the day free.

But Athrun liked to be prepared ahead of time. Not to mention he needed to be ready to leave earlier than other soldiers so that he could supervise them and make sure they left on time. Just because he had decided to try to act more friendlily with others, it didn't mean he would hesitate to act like a strict boss when it was necessary. His subordinates would learn that soon if they wasted time gossiping and got late.

* * *

:


	7. Welcome Home

:

* * *

Peeking out the window of the shuttle to catch the sight of the Earth, which was getting bigger and bigger, Athrun smiled. Right now, he was on his way to Orb to attend the meeting with other representatives of military personnel at the Orb Embassies. And he felt as if the blue planet was calling him to come home. He had been born in space and spent most of his life there, but now, the place he longed to be was the planet. The country on it. Where the person he loved most was waiting for his return.

It wasn't the first time he had the thought or the feeling, but it still warmed his heart while intensifying the sense of longing.

A pang of disappointment shot through his chest again as he remembered that he couldn't spend his afternoon off with Cagalli. Unfortunately, her schedule that day was full: meetings and visits during the day, and a gala welcoming some dignitaries of Republic of East Asia at night.

He briefly closed his eyes and exhaled, trying to lighten up himself. It would be better if he kept his thoughts on good things. At least, he was going to see her and have dinner with her tomorrow night. If they were lucky, they could have another chance to spend time together during the five days he was going to stay in Orb.

Opening his eyes, he turned them back to his mobile computer. He couldn't do anything about her schedule, but he could try to at least make some more time for himself by getting thoroughly prepared for the coming meetings and increase his chance to spend time with her to the highest.

Even if his hope wouldn't be fulfilled, he could still make a good impression on the higher-ups, which might result in his transfer to the mainland. It was one of his current goals. He preferred to work as near Cagalli as possible in case an emergency like a terrorist attack happened. Even though he trusted the bodyguards and soldiers who were protecting her, he wanted to do it himself rather than entrust the job to others, which was one of the reasons why he had chosen to stay in the Orb's military after all. Even though things had been relatively calm for the past year, there were still many people who meant to harm the Chief Representative of Orb.

And in order for the transfer to happen, he needed to focus on the work in his hands. He couldn't miss a chance to prove his abilities and usefulness, to gain more power and authority so that he could protect what was important to him.

He wasn't the type to slack off his work to begin with. And he had already learned that when you had both a public reason and a personal reason to get your work successfully done, when your mind and your heart matched, you could perform at your best.

He was so completely focused on his work that the few hours before it was announced that the shuttle was landing on the ground felt almost like just a blink of an eye to him. As the shuttle came to stop, he quickly packed his stuff.

Getting off the shuttle, he soon entered the passport control area. While he was waiting in line, his eyes drifted toward nearby flowerbeds, and he softly smiled. There was a hibiscus bush, one of Cagalli's favorite flowers. The orange trumpet-shaped flower, which he had never seen in PLANT, reminded him of her and made him feel more at home. He was in the same country, on the same earth, with her.

His thoughts shifted to wondering what she was doing right now. He had checked her schedule earlier. Today, she had had a Cabinet meeting in the morning, a lunch with the Ambassador of the Eurasian Federation in Orb, then a visit to the home office of an organization that supported retired soldiers and families of deceased soldiers.

However, her schedule after that had been blank, which meant she was either having a secret meeting or just dealing with piles of paperwork in her office. The time on a clock on a wall said it was almost four, and she must be doing one of them right now.

If she had only paperwork this afternoon, she might be able to spare a couple of hours tonight. He was going to call her and leave a message in her voicemail that he had arrived at Orb safely anyway. The problem he was trying to solve right now was whether he should directly ask her about her availability tonight or wait until she called back and suggested meeting up. She often insisted he should say it if he wanted something, and he knew she was right. At the same time, he didn't want to pressure her if she was busy.

As he was dithering, a part of his mind realized a little odd fact: she had not asked him to call her when he arrived at Orb. Well, maybe she hadn't because she knew he would anyway. Or maybe she had been too distracted by her work to think of it. If the latter was the case, maybe he shouldn't bother her by asking for her tim—

"Next!"

Realizing it was his turn, he walked toward one of the booths where an immigration officer requested his passport. Since he had an Orb passport and was wearing the military uniform, the exchange was brief.

Soon, the immigration officer handed back his passport with a smile. "Welcome home, officer."

Athrun blinked, then a smile slowly spread on his face. "Thank you," he said with sincerity, taking his passport back. Probably with too much sincerity, for the immigration officer's face turned a little surprised and puzzled.

Athrun cleared his throat in embarrassment, and picked up his suitcase to hurriedly walk away. But the sense of belonging the words had brought him was still lingering. Orb was his home now. This was the country he belonged to now. The country he would fight for and protect for the rest of his life.

Feeling buoyed up and grounded at once, he went through the customs inspection with no trouble and passed through an arrival gate to join the crowd which consisted of other arriving passengers and those waiting for them. Before he headed for an exit to catch a taxi, someone called out.

"Athrun! Over here!"

The muffled voice sounded oddly familiar. He turned his face with a puzzled frown. He wasn't supposed to meet anyone at the port.

His eyes stopped at a woman with long brown hair standing about a dozen steps away from him, with a rather large cap and dark sunglasses which covered half of her face. She pushed up the brim of her cap a little and lowered the glasses to reveal her amber eyes. But he had realized who she was before that.

"Ca—!"

He barely caught himself from shouting her name in such a public place. It might catch other people's attention and cause someone to notice who she was, which could endanger her safety or at least result in a huge commotion.

Securing his grip on the suitcase which he had almost dropped, he strode over to her, his eyes darting around. There was a young woman in plain clothes, only a few years older than Cagalli perhaps, next to Cagalli as if they were family or friends waiting for someone together. He didn't know her, but she must be the new bodyguard Cagalli had mentioned; the woman was pretending to be standing casually, but he could see she was trained and on alert, discreetly focusing on Cagalli. He also caught sight of a few faces he knew from his bodyguard days; they were dispersed in the crowd, not suspiciously closely surrounding Cagalli but keeping a close enough distance to defend her if anything should happen. Athrun's body somewhat relaxed at the fact that at least she had bodyguards with her.

As soon as he reached her, he asked, struggling to keep his voice down, "What are you doing here?!"

She calmly replied, "I came to pick you up, of course. And for your information, I didn't come here alone." She then added smugly, motioning at her gear, "I also put on a disguise."

"I've noticed it," he said wryly. "But it still doesn't guarantee your safety."

She shrugged it off. "Well, as I told you, I can't make time on the day you have a half day off. So, I had my schedule adjusted so that I could leave my office early today instead." She was wearing a wide smile which made her look like a child who had just succeeded in a prank. "It's fortunate your shuttle arrived in the late afternoon, not morning or early afternoon."

Something clicked in his mind.

"This is why you wanted to know my schedule in details," he said somewhat accusingly, recalling her e-mail requesting his itinerary.

He didn't like getting caught off guard, and silently cursed at himself for not seeing through her scheme. He had just assumed that she wanted to compare his schedule with hers to find periods of time when they both were free.

"You got it right." Now, she was practically grinning ear to ear.

"You could've just told me you'd come," he grumbled.

"Oh, but then, I couldn't have seen that surprised face of yours." She chuckled, clearly at the memory. "Besides, you would've objected to my coming to the port, wouldn't you?"

"Probably," he admitted. Then, his bodyguard instinct kicking in, he looked around again and suggested, "We'd better leave before anything happens."

"Sure. Let's go then."

She held out a hand to him.

He hesitated for a moment, glancing at her bodyguards, but decided it was all right. Those people were personal bodyguards of the Athha family, not soldiers. Their loyalty was to Cagalli, not to the Orb government. And they were under a strict confidentiality agreement. Not to mention this wasn't the first time Athrun and Cagalli showed a little intimacy before them. It had sometimes happened while Athrun was working as one of the bodyguards. The other bodyguards had been looking the other way and keeping it secret. They were trustable.

Besides, it was too much of a temptation to resist. So he took her hand, warm and familiar and comforting. It felt much better than the hand he pictured while being away from her, longing for a reunion. And the feel of her real hand increased his sense of belonging. There was nothing that made him feel more at home than she. She was his home, his destination no matter where he was, no matter where he went. Her side was the place he always came back to.

The loneliness that had been inside him for months completely melted away. He held her hand securely; she held his back in the same manner. Sharing a smile, they started to walk toward an exit of the port, keeping steps with each other.

* * *

**The End**

* * *

**A/N**: This fic is somewhat influenced by the song "Reason," the first ending theme of GSD.

Meyrin's attitude toward Athrun and Cagalli's relationship is based on the impression I got while listening to the fourth OMAKE CD drama. In it, she revealed she was aware that there was something romantic between Athrun and Cagalli, and she didn't sound like she intended to pursue Athrun romantically.

Also, she called Cagalli Cagalli-san, a more casual form than Cagalli-sama which most people use because of Cagalli's high status and position, even though Meyrin still called Lacus Lacus-sama after spending a lot more time with the pinkette than with the blonde. From which, I deduced that there had been at least one friendly exchange between Meyrin and Cagalli after GSD, which we viewers haven't been told about, and Cagalli told Meyrin to be less formal with her; so, Meyrin started calling Cagalli more casually, and perhaps, acting toward her more friendlily.

Considering these, I guess, and hope, that Meyrin, who joined the Orb's military after GSD according to the official source, is more likely to be some kind of friend and supporter to Athrun and Cagalli's relationship than a love rival to Cagalli or an obstacle to AC. So, I wrote her that way in this fic.

And Kira being unwilling to take official training as a soldier even after becoming a White Coat in ZAFT is what Athrun speculated in the third OMAKE CD drama.

Well, thank you for reading. If you've wrote a review for my other fics, thank you for that, too.

And happy birthday, Athrun!


End file.
